Ruthless Cats send warning
ROUND 12: GEELONG V RICHMOND
OPPOSITION teams have long known the blueprint for defeating Geelong.
Executing the plan has not always been easy, but denying the Cats time and space, and putting them under intense pressure when they win the ball, are the essential components of most victories against Chris Scott’s side.
The most recent time a team managed to do that in the manner Richmond did in this game’s first quarter was Melbourne in last year’s elimination final, a match in which the Demons managed to hold Geelong goalless in the opening term.
For the first time in 2019 that was the case at the MCG, with the Tigers finding the grunt and tenacity that has made them one of the most feared and respected teams of the past two seasons.
Damien Hardwick’s men laid 32 tackles to 14 in the first term and took 29 marks to 16 — winning the ball back at every opportunity on the one hand, and keeping it off Geelong for as long as they could on the other.
The 17-10 inside-50 count was a reflection of Richmond’s capacity to win the ball across the middle and pump it into attack, but the two goals it managed did not do it justice.
It would prove costly, because as everyone at Geelong keeps saying, this year’s incarnation of the Cats is very different to that of previous seasons.
T.Hawkins 4, G.Miers 3, E.Ratugolea, G. Ablett 2, P.Dangerfield, T.Kelly, M.Duncan, G.Rohan, R.Stanley.
P.Naish, D.Martin, T.Lynch, D.Butler, J.Castagna. P.Dangerfield, G. Ablett, T.Stewart, T.Kelly, M.Duncan, T.Hawkins. D.Prestia, T.Cotchin, D.Martin, B.Houli. Stevic, Gavine, Whetton, Ryan. 65,214 at the MCG.
While in the past they have struggled to bounce back after being jumped early, it did not take long for them to turn the tables and showcase why they are rightly being labelled the premiership favourites.
In what would become a second quarter blitz, Esava Ratugolea’s early major finally managed to break the ice. Owing to the inability of the Tigers to make the most of their first quarter dominance, that goal cut the margin to four points.
When Gary Rohan marked and converted soon after, the Cats had hit the front, and from there they never looked back.
Tom Hawkins and Gryan Miers added two apiece before Patrick Dangerfield added another on the cusp of halftime to register his team’s seventh for the term.
In the space of 30 minutes Geelong had put a 30-point gap on Richmond in a sign that it was not going to be bullied or manhandled like it had been only 30 minutes earlier.
Rohan was at his ferocious best without the ball, causing havoc for the Tigers’ defenders with his pace when chasing.
But more than anything, it was the Cats’ efficiency when going forward that proved crucial.
Richmond had managed to register more clearances and more inside-50s for the quarter — 13-12 — but Geelong’s superiority in attack and renewed cohesion and composure in defence meant the ladder leaders were able to apply the scoreboard pressure its opponents had failed to do earlier in the contest.
After the main break, the comeback turned into a slaughter as the Cats piled on eight majors to one — at one stage scoring three goals to Tim Kelly, Mitch Duncan and Gary Ablett in less than a minute of game time.
It was a profound statement from Geelong, against a team that has in recent memory had the wood over it in big games at the MCG.
Because while Scott and his assistants — and their competitors watching on from home — would have known the Tigers were going to start in the manner they did, the question marks over how the Cats would respond were answered in emphatic fashion.
This is, indeed, a very different Geelong team — and Richmond and the rest of the chasing pack know it.